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Rose of Naboo
Chapter Twenty-One: "Peace"
(O)-,-'—
"Doesn't that fella have anything better to do with his time?" Brill asked as he counted tonight's income before closing up. It was Leira's turn to sweep up and wipe down the bar.
She paused in her activities and glanced at Obi-Wan who sat quietly in a corner, grinning at her while watching her every move.
"And I don't like the way he looks at you. Every time you turn around his eyes are glued to your ass."
Leira chuckled. "He wouldn't be the first customer to do that in here," she pointed out.
"I wouldn't exactly call him a customer," Brill argued. "He's been nursing that red dwarf for hours. I don't like him," her boss complained, going back to his counting. "He's neglectful. He should home tending his farm."
Leira laughed quietly to herself as she continued to wipe up a variety of questionable substances down the length of the bar's surface. "He bought something and that's your rule of taking a seat."
"I might have to change that rule," the owner grumbled.
"Okay. Let's have it. Why do dislike him so much?" Leira stopped and stepped up to face her boss.
The older man shook his head and stopped counting, mumbled something about never hiring another female and then gazed at her with bloodshot and weary green eyes. "I've never had no family of my own. And you," he paused to clear his throat, "have been like a daughter to me. I just don't want anyone to take you away. That's all."
The surprising sweetness of his statement filled her eyes with tears and Leira felt compelled to lean over the bar and hug the man. He smelled of sweat and alcohol but she didn't care. He had a heart of gold and she cared for him a great deal.
"I love you too," she whispered in his ear, "Dad."
"All right, all right," an embarrassed Brill gently pushed her away. "Get back to work. I don't pay loafers."
When she was finally finished with her duties, Leira checked the chrono. It was past midnight and still Obi-Wan sat, waiting on her. She joined him at his table.
"You had a moment with Brill, I see," he pointed out.
"Yeah, he's just a big softy. He doesn't care much about you, though," she teased him.
Obi-Wan's eyebrows shot up, expressing mock surprise. "Seriously? And why not? I'm a likable guy."
Leira reached across the table and was met halfway. The couple held hands and both studied the way their fingers intertwined.
"He's worried you're going to marry me, drag me out to your moisture farm, and he'll never see me again." Leira glanced up to see if her bait had been taken. They'd been dating for a few months now, and it was obvious they belonged together. Wasn't marriage and family the next step?
A sparkle in his eye and a smirk of his mouth revealed she hadn't fooled him in the least. "He has reason to be worried because that's exactly my intention."
Her lure had worked too well and her brows dropped with concern. Living out in the heat and dull environment of the Jundland Wastes was the last thing she wanted to do!
Obi-Wan chuckled and squeezed her hands. "Don't worry, I wouldn't take you away from the life you've established here," he confirmed which eased her worry. "You've made several friends and besides, Brill would have my head."
"Good," Leira sighed. "I mean, I love you and all, but I really don't want to spend my life shoveling sand out of my toilet."
His shoulders shook with silent laughter before his demeanor swiftly changed. "Hold on. Did you just say you loved me?"
It was her turn to look confused. Farg! She didn't want to be the first! She'd just played her best card!
"Haven't we said that before?" she squirmed in her seat a little.
"No, we haven't," Obi-Wan confirmed with a smile, which only made her feel worse. "But before you go running and screaming out into the dunes, let me assure you I love you as well, although I'm in no big hurry to exchange vows. Are you?"
"Of course not," Leira informed him. "Although," she began massaging his thumb provocatively and put on an expression she hoped looked seductive and not like she'd swallowed a bug. "We could pretend we did."
It was his turn to squirm now and Leira acknowledged the transition of power in her favor with an alluring smile.
"I have nothing against physical intimacy and Force knows we've come close to it several times."
His blush was charming, to say the least. "Then what are we waiting for?" she pushed the subject. She was tired of pleasuring herself in the heat of the night, her mind filled with his image while her bed was empty. "We've been seeing other for over three months. I love you, you love me. Isn't it time?"
Obi-Wan returned to the study of her hands, which had become more and more callused by broom handles and mop buckets. "I'll know when the time is right. You mean enough to me that I don't want to rush into anything. I'm afraid you're just going to have to trust me."
It was a disappointing answer, but one she'd have to live with. "In the meantime?" she prompted him.
"In the meantime," he gazed at her across the table with a hint of a playful smirk. "We'll continue to get to know one another, take long walks, watch a few more sunsets, and enjoy delicious food and drink."
"And make out," Leira supplied her own item to his list. "Don't forget about that."
"Of course," Obi-Wan seared her with his heated gaze. Just who was seducing who now? "How could I forget?"
"All right you two," Brill complained as he turned off the lights. "I'm closing shop and you need to get the hell out of here."
"My place?" Leira suggested as they stood, maintaining their touch with one hand. They had actually gone to the apartment he was renting across town once, and how could she put this – she'd seen bigger storage closets than that. Why anyone would want to relieve themselves while staring at their kitchen was beyond her. It was one room with one tiny window. So, yes, they were going to her place!
"If you insist, although you should know, I bought something for my flat the other day," he told her as they exited the cantina. "A curtain," Obi-Wan said proudly. "I got tired of sitting on the toilet and staring at citizens walking past. I needed a little more privacy."
The word 'flat' is what Leira laughed about. Was that supposed to make his place sound more sophisticated? He essentially was living in a restroom! Whenever he did decide it was time for them to wed, she would absolutely insist on moving him in with her. Her apartment wasn't the roomiest in Mos Espa, but it was definitely a step up from his!
"I'm proud of you," she told him with an added bump of her shoulder. "You're becoming quite the interior decorator."
"Hardly," he mentioned as they began the climb to her home. "I actually prefer your place. I'm getting rather fond of all the color."
Leira often worried she may have gone overboard in that area. Over the past several months, she added more and more until there was essentially every shade in the galaxy on her walls, on her floors, on her sofa and bed. It made her happy, though, and that's what mattered. She'd even taken up painting and had hung a couple of bright, abstract pieces on the wall next to her sofa. Sometimes Obi-Wan joined her, and she could imagine the hobby was something they could do together as they grew older.
She shook her head in amazement. A year ago, who would've thought she'd be making plans to be married and growing old with a man; especially a man who was once a Jedi?
"What is it?" Obi-Wan asked her, obviously reading her expression. He stepped inside the apartment and headed straight for the sanitizing towels, knowing that cleaning her hands and face was the first thing she did every night when she got home.
"I was just thinking what a lucky gal I am," she teased, accepting the towel and beginning her ritual. "To have my own place, a job, a hobby, a man to love. Not everyone is so lucky."
Her observation caused Obi-Wan to turn serious, which wasn't her intention. He took a seat on her sofa and told her what was on his mind. "You're right. Not everyone can say that, especially these days. With the Emperor spreading his tyranny throughout the galaxy, there are millions who are suffering, even losing their lives. I hope this rebellion starts soon. The good citizens left need to rise up against him and fight back."
Although Leira agreed with him, it was a topic she'd rather not discuss tonight. It tended to sober Obi-Wan and depress his mood, when she felt it was her job to make him laugh and keep him happy. What better way to do that than to suckle his earlobe?
She began the task, only to be asked not to. "Not tonight. I've got a lot on my mind," he told her while tilting his head away.
She wasn't about to give up that easily and swung one leg over his lap and straddled him, sliding her lips from his ear to the hollow of his collarbone. Leira blazed a trail of kissing straight up from that point, rubbed her face in his beard and then pressed her lips against his own. A deep growl moved up his throat as he grabbed her and pinned her against the cushions, plundering her mouth with his kiss. Leira thrilled in her success and wrapped her legs around his body. Between them, she could feel the evidence of her efforts pressing against her thigh. She wanted him so badly but would do as he asked. She wouldn't push him until he was ready.
She ended their long kiss and held tightly onto him.
"You're quite the distraction," he teased, taking a turn to apply his lips to her neck, hitting the one spot that made her squirm – which he already knew about and often exploited. "Thank the Force we didn't meet when I was a Jedi," he growled in her ear.
"And what would you have done?" she pushed, curious to know his answer.
"Possibly broken my vows," he told her leaning on his elbow and hovering over her while his fingers traced a line of fire from her neck to her cleavage and back again.
"No you wouldn't have," she chuckled in disbelief.
"You're probably right," he agreed in a serious tone. "But you would've tempted me more than anyone ever had."
"Good to know," Leira teased, running her hand down his thigh. "So, you've had a few relationship, I take it?"
The look on his face expressed his regret in opening up the topic, but they'd decided in the beginning of their relationship to share everything. No more secrets.
"A few," he agreed.
"Can you be more specific?" she prompted while pinching his backside.
"Ow," he playfully complained, planting a quick kiss to her mouth. "If you insist." He rolled his eyes before continuing. "Let's see: first there was Siri, who was a fellow padwan. Then there was Cerasi, Lana, and of course, Padme."
"That many, huh?" Was she jealous? That was unexpected.
"Most were merely infatuations when I was young," he explained.
"Except for Padme. You told me you were twenty-four when you met. You knew what you were doing." Leira argued. After all this time she still couldn't quiet that little voice in the back of her mind that kept whispering it wasn't her he was in love with. How could it be?
"I did," Obi-Wan explained, "but I was also a Jedi Master and I knew better than to pursue it. Besides, if anyone asks, I believe I got the better version."
She chuckled at the comparison and stared at his lips, yearning to be kissed, which he happily obliged.
"Speaking of," he murmured, withdrawing from her mouth slightly. "I spoke with Bail the other day. The attack on the cloning facility was a success. It's been completely destroyed."
Leira suddenly had mixed feelings about the news. In one way, she was glad. It meant the end of possibly cloning any more sentient beings against their will. But then, the place was her origin, so-to-speak; her home, and the scientists residing within were her parents – from a certain point of view.
"Are you all right?" he questioned after her silence had stretched too long.
"Yes," she tried to explain. "I was just surprised, that's all. I know it was necessary, but I can't help but feel as if my foundation has been shaken."
He held her tightly and kissed her temple. "That's a natural reaction," he whispered to her. "Try to let it go and rely on me. I'll support you in every way I can."
His promise was like a salve to her soul and it brought Leira a relaxing sense of peace. For the first time in a long while, she fell asleep and dreamed of wonderful possibilities.